Frozen in Time (Book6 of the Fallen Prophecy)
by Bookman Old Style
Summary: In the far North of Pyrrhia, IceWings live alone and isolated, ruled by their fair queen, Glacier. Frost the IceWing glowers at almost anything he sees, he hates every dragon tribe, including his own; blaming them for the apparent theft of his egg from the royal hatchery.
1. Acknowledgements

**Frozen in Time**

By: Adrenaline the SkyWing

For Becca. Even though she's a pain in my tail, she has always been there to guide me.


	2. Prologue: Betrayal

Prologue

Bright, vast expanses of pure ice surrounded the large IceWing, her scales a snowy white with icy blue speckles along her neck. The only disturbance in the flat terrain was the queen's palace far on the horizon, her castle's spires seemed to stab at the sun in a blinding reflection of the light on ice. Flashes of wings swirled in or out of Queen Glacier's palace every once in a while, and the ice dragon let out a relieved sigh. She clutched the egg closer to her chest, her jagged claws clicking on the hard eggshell. Seal looked down at the pure white egg, her dark blue eyes scanning it for cracks. She'd always worried that her egg wouldn't survive, but, IceWings were the only dragons in all of Pyrrhia who could survive this far north, which meant safety away from her queen, and away from predators.

She dug a large niche in the ice and snow, her serrated claws scraping it away easily. This egg was never to be found, and she prayed that no dragon would travel this far, especially when the war had been over for a few months.

"Frost," Seal whispered hoarsely, fighting back tears as she nestled the egg in the snow. "Please, you mustn't ever be found. Ever. Stay hidden my little dragonet, and you will be the greatest IceWing to have ever hatched in all of Pyrrhia." She briefly pressed her nose against the eggshell, inhaling its scent. She will find her dragonet again. One day, when she was free from Queen Glacier's talons.

She ripped herself away from the egg when she'd heard a loud roar, echoing across the glittering plain. It was from the direction of the ice palace: the signal that Glacier had been betrayed. Seal frantically scratched snow over the egg she called Frost, thanking the eldest ice dragons that the egg was white instead of blue.

Seal unfurled her wings and took off, her scales glinting brightly in the light, and frozen tears pricked at her eyes. She bellowed out the call of grieving dragons, it sending shudders through the air. Her eyes caught the movement of the ice dragon army, winging its way towards her. She speedily flew towards the Kingdom of the Sand, knowing that is where she would more than likely die.

 _"I will fly higher than this mourning within,_

 _I will be strong for you._

 _My love, my eldest of elders, my little ones,_

 _I will be strong for you._

 _I shall stay aloft this broken path,_

 _As you had when you were here._

 _The stars glitter coldly, winking away like your last breaths,_

 _My heart has grown as frigid as the ice of the north,_

 _Alas, I will find you,_

 _One day I will find you and wind my tail around yours._

 _One, so far away day will come._

 _I will be strong for you, my dearest love,_

 _My elders,_

 _My little hatchlings."_


	3. Chapter 1: Battle in the Mountains

**_Oh god. This is so short. I am so sorry you guys. Have shame on my scales :( I'll make it up to you guys in chapter 2 ~Adrenaline_**

 _Chapter 1_

Frost glared at the sky dragon in front of him, his scales shimmering like shards of the moon and ice. His eyes were locked with the dragon, his ears flicking and swiveling as he listened for wingbeats of onlookers. He wanted this to be strictly private.

The dragon's head swiveled, her scales like the fire that most dragon tribes had. Fire was still no match for frostbreath of IceWings though. She almost looked nervous, as if she wasn't fully aware that if she attacked him, that she might possibly die.

"Frost," she said in a silky voice that didn't seem to match the timid dragon saying the words. "I know you challenged me, but do…. Do I really _have_ to fight you? Can't I have a choice about it…?" She shuffled her talons, glancing up at him with scared, crimson eyes.

"Yes you have to fight, no you may not have any choice," he snarled. His front talons flexed, ready to claw her snout until it was raw, and all the scales were ripped off. "You almost _killed_ me yesterday, Necrosis! Do you even care that I could be the prince of the IceWings?! Or does that simply not get through that fat, thick head of yours?"

Now Necrosis looked angry, smoke streaming from her nostrils, it curling around her orange horns. "Mind stating that again, Frost?" she hissed softly at him, her body unsettling still now.

"I said," Frost barked as he lashed his tail, the spikes at the whip-thin end clinking softly like icicles, "does the fact that I may be _prince_ of the _IceWings_ not get through your _fat. Thick. Head?"_

Necrosis flexed her front talons and Frost heard her hiss again. "Oh, so, apparently the dragon without the full ruff of icicles, has a fat head?" She tossed her horns, her scales glittering in the sun. "I, however, am perfectly balanced. While you," she sneered. "You, my friend, are more than just a little _unbalanced_. You don't even know who you're supposed to be!" She spat a bolt of flame at him and he had to back up several spaces to avoid getting a singed snout.

"Hey!" Frost roared, lashing out his claws and tail. He and Necrosis got tangled in a snarling heap of pale silver and fire orange. Blood streaked the rock below them, and there were painful-sounding whistles and smacks as Frost's tail swatted Necrosis across her back and snout. "You blasted lizard spawn!"

What seemed like hours passed, leaving both tired and cut up. Their breaths were ragged and Frost had to brace himself on the stone below him to prevent from falling off.

"You're strong," Necrosis admitted sourly, blood spilling from her snout. "But I can still ruin your entire life."

"It's already ruined," Frost spat. "It was ruined when I hatched in the ice field. It was ruined when I was conceived!" He glared daggers at her, and he saw her body flinch at his outburst.

Suddenly, Necrosis lifted her head, her eyes narrowed and her ears perked. "Do you hear that?" she asked. The SkyWing's tail lashed slowly and she wiped off some blood that had begun to trickle down her face.

"Hear what? Your over exaggerated breathing?" he growled in annoyance.

"No," she replied through a clenched jaw. She slowly calmed and exhaled softly. "I meant, do you hear any screeching? Any wingbeats?"

"I don't," Frost admitted. "I hear only the wind, Necrosis."

Necrosis's mouth opened to say something, but before any words could spew out, a large shadowy cloud descended upon her. Frost heard her roar in pain and screech in agony. Blood splattered against his snout and just as fast as the being came, it was quickly soaring down to the west –towards the Kingdom of Sand. Frost stared at the torn open throat of Necrosis, her head almost completely severed from her body.

She slowly crumpled to the stone, her weight pulling her off the edge of the cliff –sending her over the edge to the grounds below.


	4. Chapter 2: Unravel

Chapter 2

 _W-what was that thing?!_ Frost thought hysterically. He trembled as he watched the pitch black figure wing away, bellowing out a blood curdling screech. It hadn't _looked_ like a dragon when it had killed Necrosis and it didn't necessarily _sound_ like a dragon. His eyes followed the SkyWing's body as it plummeted to the forest. With a sickening crash of branches, the corpse disappeared.

He quickly turned away, squeezing his eyes shut. _Calm down Frost,_ he ordered himself. _The creature didn't come for you, so it shouldn't be your problem. It_ isn't _your problem._ He tried to imagine that the blood that speckled the side of his snout and face really _wasn't_ there. The sun beat down on his scales, creating a silver liquid ( **let's say it's sweat :P)** to seep between his scales. Frost grit his teeth, growling at himself.

He rolled his shoulders and leaped off the ledge. Wind caught under his wings and he soared over the forest's trees. He looked around, the sun high over Pyrrhia and his eyes landed on the ocean. Queen Coral's Summer Palace had almost been completely reconstructed –which meant SeaWings would more than likely be returning home.

He sighed and steered himself towards the sea, a soft chant echoing inside his head.

 _Wings of lost tell our fates,_

 _Wings of frost hold them safe._

Frost snarled, his tail lashing with a faint whistle. Who did that stupid NightWing think he was? Some type of savior for dragons?

 _Pathetic,_ Frost's mind stated. He could almost taste the bile on his tongue; just thinking of the NightWing made him grimace. _Wings of frost? Basically_ any _IceWing in Pyrrhia!_ He snorted angrily. _By the snowstorms, do I hate NightWings!_

 _A long, long time ago, when the kingdoms were ruled with greed and hate and prejudice, there was an IceWing and a NightWing. Blizzard and Soultaker: each well respected within their tribes. Blizzard was the heir to the throne within the reign of Queen Ridged, and Soultaker was a fierce general to Queen Galaxywielder's impressive and vast army._

 _During a raid by the NightWings, Princess Blizzard snuck away from her protected chambers. She, to her mother's painfully obvious disliking, loved to watch gory and bloody battles. Possibly watching death as well. As the NightWings stormed into Ridged's palace, their flames creating steam as they touched the ice, through the haze, Blizzard saw a handsome and imposing NightWing rise. It was Soultaker. His gaze, they say, happened to fall upon the princess's crystal blue scales that glittered in the light of the fire beautifully. They both felt all air escape their lungs. They say, that the two dragons both felt a sudden urge to fly away from the palace._

 _So they did. Blizzard and Soultaker both flew up, up, up. Higher and higher, twirling and twirling. They flew so high, that when they leveled out, Queen Ridged's palace was hardly visible. The roars weren't audible. The IceWing princess and the NightWing general looked at each other._

 _"_ _Hello," Blizzard breathed._

 _"_ _Good evening, Your Highness," Soul whispered._

 _Blizzard smiled, filled with curiosity and happiness –even though she didn't know why. She threw her head back, laughing. Her crown caught the sunlight and let it dance in the air. It dazzled Soultaker, making him swallow hard._

 _"_ _Why are you out here, milady?" he asked softly._

 _"_ _I came out to enjoy a beautiful sunset. What about you, sir?" Blizzard began to gently glide around him. Soul had to force his gaze to the dark smidge on the horizon. The Kingdom of Sand –Queen Drought's territory. He huffed and shook his head. Oh how he wished his parents had him hatched under the moon's light. He couldn't read this dragon, and he couldn't tell if the dragon were bad or good._

 _"_ _I was following you, princess," Soul replied. "Your mother is probably about to go and murder my entire kingdom if you do not return to your palace." He held out a front talon, causing Blizzard to pause and hover._

 _"_ _But," her eyes looked up at him, worried. "What do I care about the NightWings? We are enemies after all." She said this with curiosity and no intention of hatred. Soul was taken aback by her words._

 _"_ _But surely you don't truly feel that way towards_ all _NightWings," he stammered._

 _"_ _Of course not!" Blizzard said, astonished –probably offended even. "I'm positive that your tribes' families and parents are wonderful. But," her voice faltered and then strengthen again, "we are from different tribes and we must keep it that way."_

 _"_ _Your Highness," Soul began._

 _"_ _Blizzard. My name s Blizzard," she ordered. "No more formality here. No more, between us." Her dark blue eyes locked with his unique golden ones._

 _"_ _Alright," he growled softly. "Blizzard. My name is Soultaker; I am Queen Galaxywielder's general." He once more reached out his front talon, his pure black scales and ivory claws reflected the sunset's blood orange sun's light._

 _Blizzard smiled and clasped her talon to his, their claws intertwining and clicking against another. Soul felt his breathing speed and Blizzard's heart thrummed._

What is this dragon doing to me? _Their minds asked themselves._

 _"_ _Ahem," Blizzard cleared her throat and let go of Soul. "Anyway, Soultaker, it was nice to meet you." She flared her wings and bowed her head respectfully. Soul's stomach flipped and he politely bowed in return._

 _"_ _May I see you again?" he blurted, his scales surprising warm in the below freezing temperatures outside. The IceWing princess snorted in shock, her blue eyes wide. She tilted her head, pondering the question._

 _"_ _Yes," she finally answered._

 _"_ _Okay. When and where, Blizzard?" Soul asked, glee surging through his veins._

 _"_ _Two days from now, Soultaker. Two days at sunset on Jade Mountain." With a quick gesture, Blizzard leaned forward and nuzzled Soul's neck with her snout. Soultaker's body grew ridged and his wings froze. Blizzard was already spiraling towards her mother's palace when the general caught his senses._

Two days on Jade Mountain at sunset, _his mind breathed._ Thank the star dragons for this beautiful day.

Frost snorted as the old IceWing story faded from thought. Whenever the young dragon was in a bad mood or needed to get his mind off of something, that blasted tale always slipped into focus. _Like Necrosis's death?_ his mind sneered. He winced and shook his head.

Frost honestly didn't know why that story had always stuck with him, or _how_ it had in fact. He shrugged and eventually saw that below him the trees had begun to sparse out into small trees, scattered out on sandy soil.

 _Finally,_ he thought in annoyance. _I'm at the Kingdom of the Sea's entrance._ He shivered at the thought of SeaWing patrols jumping out of the waters and snapping his neck with a heavy whack from their massive tails.

He swatted that disturbing image away and dug his claws into the sand as he landed on the beach. The stench of the ocean was a lot stronger than up in the north, where scents where easily concealed below the cleanliness of the ice. As of here though, the salty air and the stink of fish made him gag and cup his nostrils behind a talon.

 _You'll have to get used to it if you want a private audience with Queen Coral_ , he told himself.

He never got used to it. Frost had resorted to breathing out of his mouth, which caused many patches of the land to end up frozen over. He sighed loudly as the hours dragged by. The sun sluggishly drifted behind clouds and towards the west; sending the world into a soft twilight.

Frost laid himself out on the beach, sand sliding between his scales. He growled, but he didn't move off of the shore. _Darkness seems to be when SeaWings like to grab their "guests",_ Frost thought irritably. _But won't they be surprised to see me waiting for them._

As predicted, when the three moons –two full, one a thin crescent blade- hung low in the east, seeming to dance on the dark water, two burly-looking SeaWings slipped from the ocean. Frost lay perfectly still as he watched the two dragons exchange faint flickers from their stripes. One of them pointed at him and he had to almost completely close his eyes.

Soft steps indicated one of them coming closer to Frost and he tried to even out his breathing.

 _Remember,_ his mind warned. _SeaWings can see clear as day in the dark, so be careful._

He felt a sturdy talon grab his snout, locking it shut. In return, he lifted up and flared his wings. With a muffled roar, he threw off the SeaWing guard and backed up, growling at them.

"Hey!" one of them shouted. "Hey buddy! Calm down, will ya?" Frost slowly went quiet, glaring at the patrol. Both of the SeaWings lit all of their stripes to a dull glow, so that Frost could see their features and a little bit around as well.

"Why did you try to capture me?" he snapped, unable to withhold his furious growl. It was always best to dumb, as if he _hadn't_ known what they'd do.

"Listen kid," said the larger SeaWing. "We jus' don't like intruders, aight?"

"No, not 'aight'," Frost spat. "There are no intruders, especially since all of the queens –and king- signed a peace treaty after the prophet Moonwatcher and her companions stopped Scarlet of the SkyWings and brought King Darkstalker back to power." He snorted, trying to calm his "anger". "What are your names?"

"Hammerhead," the smaller dragon growled under his breath. Frost noticed how much smaller he was compared to the larger patrol dragon –only standing to the others' shoulder.

"Surge," the older one stated.

Frost slowly took in their looks. Hammerhead seemed to be about twelve years old, with light green horns and deep, dark green scales –like the ocean depths. His eyes were a light blue and his luminescent scales had an emerald tinge to their glow.

Surge however was a pale blue dragon with a nasty scar than ran from the right corner of his mouth to his first gill on his throat. He seemed to be over twenty years old, with green eyes and sky-blue horns.

"So, Hammerhead and Surge," Frost said softly. "I order to see Queen Coral as soon as possible."

Hammerhead let out a shallow growl, but Surge plopped a webbed talon on his head –affectionately to Frost's surprise- to silence him. "Quiet kid," he muttered to the green dragon. He lifted his chin and chuffed at Frost. "Alright. We'll take you to Her Majesty. But this better be important: Her Majesty is in no condition for ludicrous meetings."

"This is no pathetic get-together," Frost insisted. "I have important news and I've also brought a payment for her troubles." He reached into his ruff of icicles and pulled out two large sapphires.

Surge's head shot up with a shock and Hammerhead gasped, awestruck. "Sapphires?!" the young dragon exclaimed. "How in the three moons did you get your claws on _two_ 84-carat sapphires?!"

"It was a gift," Frost muttered, curling his talon around the gemstones. "But I am willing to give them to her royal Majesty if she will have an audience with me." Surge nodded and he furrowed his eye ridges. He lifted his claws off of Hammerhead and shot his arm forward.

"Let me see them," he said gruffly. Frost snorted.

"Why?" he hissed, gripping the jewels closer. "Don't trust me?"

"Not in the slightest," came Hammerhead's shallow snarl. He elbowed Surge's side. "Let me inspect one too!"

Frost rolled his eyes in disdain. "Fine. Here." He tossed the two gems into the air, watching the SeaWings snatch up one each with startled expressions.

Hammerhead was the first to slump to the sand, Surge falling after. Surge writhed and struggled, but he couldn't move the claws that held the sapphire so loosely.

"W-What did you do?!" he roared. Frost sat and inspected one of his ridged claws.

"It's actually quite simple, stupid dragon," Frost said casually. "Both of the sapphires are animus touched, made to render any RainWing, SeaWing, or MudWing completely helpless."

"Why only those four tribes?!" Surge demanded. "What about the other four?!"

Frost sighed, glancing down at the two SeaWings. "SeaWings, MudWings, and RainWings can kill any dragon with one hit. SkyWings are known to play with their victims, clumsily leaving pathetic openings. NightWings are just stupid when it comes to battle and SandWings –well they rely on their tails far too much to be a true threat. Now that Queen Thorn has distributed a healthy amount of the healing cactus to each and every tribe, any dragon willing enough to drink the milk constantly will eventually become immune to the SandWing poison. They're completely too self-confident in fights to an enemy worth concerning over."

"What about your moons-forsaken tribe?" Hammerhead barked.

Frost laughed whole-heartedly –feeling a certain power from this whole scenario. "Because an IceWing animus made these." He grinned down at their terrified faces.

"These sapphires aren't in any scrolls from even three generations ago! You're trying to tell me, that there's an IceWing animus dragon just waltzing around Pyrrhia in present day time?!"

Frost nodded, fully aware of his sneer. "You are correct."

"I've never heard of IceWing animus dragons," Hammerhead whispered.

"That's because they haven't ever existed until now," Surge replied softly. He turned his snarl back to Frost. "Alright, sea slug, who's the dragon then?!"

Frost got to his talons and stepped closer to Surge, bending low so that his snout barely pressed against the SeaWing's ear.

"I am."


	5. Chapter 3: Blood Stained

_Chapter 3_

"Y-you?!" Surge sputtered, his talons digging into the sand. The claws that clasped the sapphire laid limply and open as the jewel rested in his palm. " _You're_ the animus IceWing?!"

Frost shrugged, the conversation boring him a little. "I do believe I've answered this. I thought SeaWings were supposed to be smart."

 _Hm,_ Frost thought. _I wonder which one I should kill first._

"Say, Surge? Is Hammerhead your son?" He patted the deep green dragon's head, causing him to snarl in fury. Surge's eyes widened in horror.

"Y-you… You wouldn't," he stammered.

"Oh I most certainly would," Frost insisted casually. He grinned down at both of the SeaWings. "You both have obviously discovered things far too important than your petty ears should be allowed. I'll definitely have to kill you two."

 _Or,_ his mind thought. _Kill one, leave the other to suffer? But then, the other could go and warn Queen Coral, and I'd never be able to murder her so there'd be so much more entertainment in Pyrrhia. Maybe I can force the other to be quiet? Huh._

Frost reached over and grabbed one of Surge's horns. He yanked him up and pointed at Hammerhead. "Does that dragon have a mother whom he could go to?"

"Why do you care?" Surge choked out, his jaw clenching in pain.

"I don't. I just want to know," Frost snapped, giving the adult a vicious wrench.

"Y-yes..!" Surge gasped, feeling a stiffening in his neck, pain beginning to build. "Yes, he has a mother bu-"

Before Surge could finish he sentence, Frost thrashed his arm and a violent crack sounded out. He let go of Surge's horn and Hammerhead let out a loud cry. The dead SeaWing thumped to the sand, a thin trail of blood slithering out of his mouth, and small fractured bones poked through his flared gills. Frost glared back to Hammerhead to see tears rolling down the dragons face.

"I'll kill you!" the dragonet roared. "I'LL KILL YOU!" He bellowed out a guttural scream, swinging his head.

Frost's tail swiped over the beach and swatted Hammer's snout –causing the small dragon to yelp in pain. Frost bent down and grabbed Surge's sapphire, the dragon's body crumpled and still. Hammerhead whimpered softly, his tears watering the sand. "Shut up Hammerhead!" Hammer sniffled, writhing in agony.

"I hate you, IceWing," he whispered. "I'll kill your whole tribe… All of you will be dead and at the bottom of the sea…"

"Such big words for such a pathetic little worm," Frost spat. "Suck it up! I grew up with no one. You have your mother, you've got some siblings I'm sure…" He snatched the sapphire from Hammer's talon, but he didn't rise.

"I don't know where my mother is, squid brain!" he sobbed, placing a shaking talon on Surge's shoulder. "Maybe if you'd just let him finish, he would've told you that!"

"Was he even your father?" Frost asked, furrowing his eye ridges. Concern had begun to gnaw at the inside of him.

"He was my brother, IceWing! Surge was my brother!"

Frost stared at the shivering dragonet. "Your brother..?"

"Yeah! My _brother_!" Hammerhead glared at Frost, causing him to feel an actual ping of regret.

Frost backed up a step, his wings unfurling. Hammerhead got to his feet and roared at him. "Hammerhead… don't do this." He shot off into the air, just as the ocean dragon lunged at him.

"I told you I'd kill you!" Hammerhead howled, bursting up behind him. "I thought _IceWings_ were supposed to be _smart_!" Frost folded back his ears.

 _I killed a dragon,_ his mind shrieked. _I killed a dragon's BROTHER!_ He flapped his wings harder. This was the curse of the animus magic. A silent killer. Blood pounded in his ears and suddenly he felt a searing pain in his tail. He turned back to look and was met with Hammerhead's teeth sunk into his scales, jagged icicle-spikes sticking out of his mouth.

"You're insane!" Frost screamed.

Hammerhead's fangs clamped down harder, causing Frost to hiss in suffering. Frost lashed his body, his back talons kicking at Hammerhead's face. The SeaWing snarled and let go of Frost, hovering in air as he watched him go.

Frost kept speeding along, his heart pounding. He strained his wings but he didn't even think about stopping until he realized he'd made a crucial mistake. He'd flown himself right into MudWing territory. The Diamond Spray River cascaded down a large waterfall at the edge of a cliff. He groaned in frustration and landed at the start of the waterfall; where the soil wasn't sodden and mucky.

"Great," he muttered. "Just _great_." He lashed his tail forward to inspect his injury. He sucked in a sharp breath and tried to withhold a gag. The tip of his tail was brutally shredded along with his flesh and scales. He tried to twitch his tail but a violent surge of pain stabbed all of his tails' nerves.

He couldn't go to the MudWings' healers. Queen Glacier and Queen Moorhen had both agreed to stay away from each other's territory due to how violent the IceWing and MudWing battles were in the SandWing Succession War.

Frost's eyes slowly landed on the distant and wide copse of trees to the south. The Rainforest Kingdom. He glowered, slowly and pain-stakingly spreading his wings.

His audience with Queen Coral would just have to wait.


	6. Chapter 4: Help Wanted

_Chapter 4_

Frost gasped when he took off again. He was halfway through the Mud Kingdom and the wound on his tail was being attacked by countless, miniscule mosquitos. The pain was beginning to grow unbearable and he had had the thought of just ripping off the tip.

 _But then I'd only have two weapons,_ his mind sighed in defeat. _My tail is important._

He growled and pushed himself onward, trying to get out of MudWing territory as fast as possible. If he was caught _now_ , the MudWings would either send him back to Glacier and be judged –which truly wasn't a good idea, or, they would just kill him then and there.

 _They won't fall for the sapphire trick,_ he thought painfully. _I have to make it to the rainforest._

So, after numerous hours of flying too close for comfort to the stratosphere, dodging large patrols, and hiding from Queen Moorhen's guards, Frost had finally made it to the rainforest.

He sighed in relief, letting his wings go limp. He fell to the trees and surprisingly –at least to him, anyway- he didn't land in a RainWing's hammock, but on a large tree branch. All of the air was blasted from his lungs and he gasped and coughed, holding his chest.

"Oh, my frozen wastelands!" he rasped, knowing now that his ribs where shattered.

He was still _miles_ from Queen Glory's palace, which meant there probably wasn't any RainWings just hanging around the border. He struggled to his feet, panting heavily.

And that's when a faint shimmer in the scenery caught his eye. He heard a faint _fwt_ and he snatched the sleeping dart out of the air before it hit him. He was _not_ going to be in the talons of RainWings for six hours.

"Hey! He caught it!" exclaimed a light-hearted voice.

"Only because you are a terrible shooter," grunted a deeper voice.

Frost watched as two RainWings –the smaller one colored in curiosity and excitement, while the older and the male was a deep, warning orange- materialized in front of him.

"How did you catch Glitter's sleeping dart?" the orange RainWing growled.

"I've had practice in every tribes' offensive and defensive techniques. If one was alert enough, they'd be able to hear you blowing into the dart tube," Frost explained, wincing as he breathed.

"See, Mangrove? I do _not_ suck at blow darts!" Glitter chimed, nudging the larger dragon with her multi-colored wing. Her forest-green eyes scanned over him, and he flicked his tail forward slowly. She gasped and shook Mangrove.

"We have to help him! He's hurt!" she shook him harder, her eyes frantic.

"Yes, yes, alright calm down, Glitter," Mangrove consoled, patting her head.

They each took one of Frost's talons, holding them tightly. "Can you fly alright?" Mangrove asked.

"I don't know… I can't move my wings without a searing pain…" Frost said hoarsely. "I landed on that branch pretty hard…"

"He could've broken his ribs," Glitter whispered solemnly. Mangrove nodded and hoisted Frost up onto his back, Glitter holding his tail as gently as she could.

"Don't try to move too much," the elder dragon rumbled, glancing back at Frost. "Your ribs could pierce through your hide at any moment, and the tip of your tail could become disconnected." Frost winced on how emotionless the RainWing had said those words.

 _Pierce through my hide?! My tail becoming disconnected?!_

Frost swallowed hard and he tried to rest during his little "trip".

 _Soultaker waited the two days and on the third day, he arrived at Jade Mountain, the tallest peak in all of Pyrrhia at sunset. When the NightWing general landed, he realized that Blizzard wasn't there yet. So he waited. He watched the horizon, the dense Rainforest Kingdom spread out far below him. Queen Majestic's kingdom. To the north was Queen Ash, the Sea held the magnificent Queen Depth, and the MudWings were ruled by Queen Everglade. His ears pricked when he caught frantic breathing and wingbeats. Soul turned his head and smiled, Blizzard landing tiredly on the ledge. He laughed in delight and clasped her talons. Her cool scales pressed against his, her dark eyes wide._

 _"I am so sorry, Soultaker! I had to find a way to get out of that blasted meeting with my so-called partner! Some partner! Stupid Mother, thinking I can't choose someone right." Blizzard nestled her head onto his shoulder. Soul sucked in a sharp breath. She smelled like the frozen wastelands up north –but why shouldn't she? She was the princess of that terrain._

 _He pulled away slightly and clasped her talons in his own. "Blizzard… Have…" he swallowed hard. "Have an egg with me…"_

Frost shuddered away, his jaw clenching. He felt strangely uncomfortable; he'd never liked _that_ part of the story, especially when he was rather young and he'd listened to that IceWing traveler. No dragon could be in love after only two days! No sane dragon would plead for a female to mate after such short notice either! Especially if she were _betrothed._

 _Thump!_

Frost yelped as he thudded down on a hard wooden platform and he hissed.

"What's wrong with you two?!" Frost growled. Glitter beamed down at him and his eye caught Mangrove's orange tail slithering behind a leafy wall.

"You were taking a nap… So, Mangrove and I decided to wake you up." She twitched her tail and her snout twisted into a poor pout. She giggled and ended up laughing, smiling at him. Frost tried to glare at her, but she looked too happy – _too innocent_ for him to, so he had to glance away before he could noticed her pink outlined scales.

"Where's Mangrove?" he asked gruffly.

"He went into Queen Glory's mate's home," she said happily.

"Her mate has a separate home?" he questioned. "Why?"

"Oh, yeah. But Queen Glory doesn't live in the palace because it disturbs her a little. Also, Deathbringer isn't from this tribe, so it's a lot safer that he stayed in a hut that was separate from the queen –just in case he catches anything on fire."

"What if they have anything valuable in the home?" Frost groaned in frustration.

"Nothing resigns in the area except the queen and the king and their nest," Glitter informed.

"Uh, okay." He scratched his head, furrowing his eye-ridges. "What kind of dragon is Deathbringer?" _If he breathes fire, then he could either be a SkyWing, SandWing, MudWing or a…_

"He's a NightWing," she piped.

Frost covered his head with his talons. _Great. The king of this blasted tribe is a_ NightWing.

"Alright," came a rough voice, Mangrove sliding up to them. "Deathbringer will meet us in the healer's hut along with Queen Glory." He reached down and grabbed Frost with his powerful talons, flopping him across his back and beginning to walk across vine platforms. They swayed and Frost groaned in nausea and squeezed his eyes shut.

Shortly after the swaying ended, soft flowers brushed over his scales and his snout –their sweet scent causing him to sneeze. Gentler talons lifted him off of Mangrove's scaly back and onto a large rectangular leafy bed. He opened his eyes to see an elegant, diamond-shaped head looking at him –the RainWing's scales a pale, powdery blue and faint white rippled along her tail and horns.

"Where should I start, young sir?" Frost growled softly and motioned towards his ribs. She nodded, grabbing a roll of bandages made from silk-worm silk. Frost rolled to his back, just as two dragons swept into the room.

"Your Majesties," the whole room breathed, except for Frost. He looked up slightly, the RainWing queen was a bold, royal blue, and her scales edged with gold while the other, the _NightWing_ , was a pitch black with yellow eyes and purple undertone scales. His starry wings were dusted and had no general pattern –unlike that Starflight whose pattern sprayed outward like a wave of stars.

Deathbringer nuzzled his mate and paced over to the other side of the room, chatting softly with Mangrove.

"An IceWing," the queen murmured, raising an eye-ridge to Deathbringer. Her voice didn't sound evil or distressed –which seemed like good news to Frost, yet she could still change. "You didn't speak of the patient being an IceWing, Deathbringer."

"I know, but I thought he could be… Y'know. The one." He shrugged, smiling slightly at her. His eyes trailed to outside, worry clear on his face.

"Any IceWing could be 'the one'," Queen Glory sighed, rubbing her snout with a talon. "That child's prophecy was more cryptic than the _fake_ one I was in when I was younger."

Frost's ears lowered. _Please don't think that I'm some special IceWing apart of such a foolish prophecy. I just wish to be healed and to be left be._

Mangrove snorted. "But, Your Majesty. We think he could possibly protect you in a way."

"Queen Glory lowered her head to Frost's view. She was beautiful, an excellent scented flower crown wreathed around her horns and head. "What is your name, IceWing, and do you know anything about the Fallen Prophecy?"


	7. Chapter 5: My Role?

Chapter 5

Frost stared blankly at her. If he told the RainWing what his name was… She might actually _kill_ him. The prophecy was about each and every queen and king dying, only to be replaced by _children_. Each of the dragon tribes would be alliance due to the supposed friendship between the seven and the clear mating that could take place a few years into the future. This was only so that no battles would become again, and that no past would be rewritten.

"My… my name?" he whispered.

"Yes, IceWing. I'd only like to know your name," the queen replied kindly. She didn't look blood-thirsty or angry or vicious.

"My name is Frost," he muttered. The room was filled with gasps and Glitter had to sit, holding her head.

"Your name is… Frost," Glory said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Interesting. Listen, I'm quite positive that the Fallen Prophecy has reached Glacier yes? That old hag… I still don't understand what's so hard to understand as 'no death sentences.'" She sighed and Frost rolled onto his stomach, letting his nurse finish bandaging his chest. "Most importantly though, is the dragons who will rise to power due to the deaths of each tribe rulers."

Frost nodded, feeling sick. "Yes Your Majesty," he repeated.

Deathbringer sucked in a deep breath, but Glory raised a talon. "He knows the prophecy dear. You have no need to quote it."

Frost sat up wincing. "Your Majesty," he said. "I know what all of you are thinking. But I'm just an ordinary IceWing! Frost is a very, very common name within the Ice Kingdom."

"But, each name is taken for a reason. One generation at a time, little one," she consoled.

"But every IceWing can be the wings of frost!" he cried. Glory sighed and patted his head –quieting him.

"Frost, have you ever noticed that _any_ RainWing could be the wings of diference?" she said.

"But you're the only known dragoness who has had an inter-tribe relationship instead of Queen Thorn and the late animus NightWing, Stonemover."

The RainWing queen cleared her throat, faint pink drifting across her horns –only to be swallowed up by blue once more. "Yes, Deathbringer has tried to convince me that I was the dragon in the prophecy once more –not something that I've been since I was only six. But, unfortunately for my tribe, Shadowscales has already found the RainWing whom he prophesized."

"Who was it?" he asked.

"Ah, a young eleven-year old female," Mangrove answered to Frost's surprise. "Her name is Canopy."

"A-and… and she's already mated?!" Frost sputtered.

"Great moons no. She's too young for that. But she has shown interest in another tribe, that's for sure."

"I honestly believe that I have influenced her to be with a NightWing due to Death bringer's and I's relationship," the queen muttered.

Frost growled. He didn't even want to know.

"Where are the Dragons of Prophecy anyway?" he grumbled.

"They're all here in the village," Mangrove said. "I think they only need to find one more dragon after you."

"Great," Frost groaned, holding his head. "I have to go on a crazy adventure with a bunch of crazy dragons to go find another runt."

"I think they just need to get the MudWing," Glitter mumbled. "Then you can save us… Right Frost?"

He gulped and nodded slightly. "Y-yes."

"We can gather them to here when Essence is done with Frost's-"

"Finished," Frost's nurse said, cutting off Mangrove and stepping back and smiling in approval. Frost glanced back at his tail, astonished; he hadn't even felt her working on it. It was clean and bug-free, it was tinged with red but he could twitch and move his tail as if it were perfectly fine all over again.

"Wow… thanks!" he said to her. Essence smiled more and nodded.

"I guess Glitter and I will go get them now," Mangrove chuckled and took Glitter by a talon and dragged her out. Deathbringer smiled and followed after them.

"I'm sure Clawmentine and Stardust are wondering where we are," Deathbringer had said before he left.

Glory nodded and turned to Frost, her eyes urgent.

"Listen Frost," she whispered. "If I die alongside Deathbringer, I will make sure that your group is the first to know. Alright?"

Frost nodded weakly, feeling drained. "Y-yes… Your Majesty."

Queen Glory smiled faintly and exited the infirmary, following her mate.

Frost laid back down, his head whirling. His world was about to get a lot bigger. He pressed his talons to his face, groaning.

"Why me?"


	8. Chapter 6: The Dragons of Hierarchy

_Chapter 6_

 _"_ _Is that him?"_

 _"_ _He looks pathetic."_

 _"_ _Oh no… He's injured. I hope he's okay."_

 _"_ _I wonder how old he is. His horns are full grown. Shadow! Use your powers to find out how old he is!"_

 _"_ _Canopy, you and I both know that I can't foresee age."_

Frost groaned, covering his head with his wings. Their voices were so… so… _Grating_ against his ears. All except one, but he didn't care. He wanted to sleep. He hadn't in forever it seemed, and now felt like the right time to do such.

"Go away," he grumbled softly. The dragons that surrounded him all snorted in amusement –and possibly hostility on one case. He felt a talon brush against his membrane, and lift his wing, a dragon that looked like the night sky –coated in nebulas and galaxies, blinked at him.

"He looks slow," she said, tilting her head. "His eyes are bloodshot and he has drool cornering the side of his mouth." Frost snorted, a wisp of snowflakes dusting the RainWing dragonet's snout. She shivered and backed away, letting go of his wing. Frost yawned and sat up, folding in his wings and giving the group a tired glare.

 _NightWing, around fifteen or fourteen years old, prophet, starry freckles on his snout, scarred tail-base and chest. RainWing, annoying, clearly likes the NightWing –hence the night-scales, eleven years old according to Mangrove, scar on the right side of her neck –probably a flying accident? RainWings usually don't fight._ Frost's mind went on a rampage, taking in everything about the group. _SkyWing –Princess Inferno to be exact. Scarred and constantly known to kill dragons that disappoint. Last time I checked, Inferno was twenty-three years old. Keep her in close surveillance and make sure she doesn't try to strangle you in your sleep, Frost. Alright, next dragon –SandWing. She seems calm and collected –keeping the barb on her tail poised towards Inferno –not to my surprise. Seems to be eighteen –maybe seventeen. She wears a key around her throat, and I can tell that her scales are severely warmer than average SandWings –I wonder if she burns the things she touches like Peril of the SkyWings? Now to their SeaW-_

Frost's heart leaped and he blinked breathlessly. She was gorgeous! She had the brightest, sapphire-blue scales he'd ever seen with the most perfect underscales –the shade of green that complimented her so flawlessly. The starburst stripes on her face made him shiver and her horns were a rippled blue-green –as if her horns were forged from the ocean's water itself! Her eyes were the color of the coral reefs, and each one of her gills had an etched-on swirl with a red-tinted black ink.

"By the first snow," he whispered in awe.

The NightWing cleared his throat, raising his head as if to mock Frost. "Hello, IceWing," he said in a haughty tone, "since you are undoubtedly _astounded_ by our presence, I will clearly inform you that we are no more special than you, nor any other dragon in Pyrrhia. Do not look so surprised, IceWing." Frost's head slowly turned to the pathetic adolescent.

"Is there a reason why you're speaking to me as if I am just a newly hatched RainWing?" he growled darkly, narrowing his eyes. He could feel the cold within him grow icier by the second until with each exhale drifts of frozen air flitted from his nostrils. "Or are you just so full of yourself that you believe that you just _have_ to be superior?"

The NightWing's eyes widened and he sat –his brow furrowing. "Now, now," he said calmly, the arrogant tone vanishing. "There's no need to be so-"

"Cold?" Princess Inferno snickered.

"I was _going_ to say _harsh_ ," the prophet snapped, frowning at her. "So as if not to insult him."

 _Yeah right,_ Frost thought, inwardly rolling his eyes.

The SandWing dragoness tilted her head, waving the NightWing away and stepping closer to him. "Shadow, go stuff your face with a cactus and shut up," she said tiredly. She poked Frost in the snout –causing him to squint as warmth made his snout's scales steam slightly. "Sorry about him. He's just dumb. Anyway," she held out a warm talon and Frost hesitantly clasped it. More steam sizzled from his scales and he withheld an uncomfortable squirm. "I'm Cobra, the SandWing that was prophesized. Yeah," she let go of him and he rubbed his claws and his palm, breathing a little of frostbreath onto his heated scales, "for some reason my scales are a little hotter than others. It's not dangerous seeing as dragons can withstand plenty of heat before pain actually becomes relevant." She gave him a sweet smile and he smiled back.

"I'm Princess Inferno, as if you didn't already know that," the blood-red SkyWing yawned. "If you dare to question Cobra or I, we'll easily tear you a new one." She flashed her claws, angling them towards him. "You got that, Freezy?" Frost gulped and nodded, curling his tail closer.

"Good," she snapped, leaving the room and almost thwacking Frost with her tail in the process. Cobra hissed and glared at Inferno's back, slowly following her.

"What are your guys' names?" he sighed, glancing at the three that remained. The RainWing bounded up to him, her grey eyes wide.

"Can I guess your name?!" she squeaked, her front talons clutching the leaves beneath her.

Frost snorted and lifted his head a little. "I... I guess?" he stammered. She flapped her wings and smiled.

"Great! Is your name… Snow?"

Frost chuckled softly. "No, it's not."

She scrunched up her snout and narrowed her eyes. "I… I knew that. I was just testing you." _For my own name?_ he thought skeptically.

"Is your name, Winter?" She smiled sinisterly as if she had discovered a murder or something.

"Canopy, he couldn't be named after a dragon that hasn't passed yet," Shadow sighed, placing a talon to his face. Canopy's ears lowered and she raised her head importantly.

"I knew that too!" she insisted. "I was joking! Okay, last try..." She squinted, her brow furrowing and she inhaled. "Is your name Storm?"

Frost laughed, amused by her guesses. "No, kid, my name is Frost. That's why your queen thinks I'm in your NightWing's prophecy."

"You are the one," Shadowscales said, crossing his arms and sitting. "Visions don't lie, _Frost_."

The NightWing gave him a sharp glare, and in return, Frost narrowed his eyes to daggers right back at him. They stayed like this for several moments.

"Where's your family?" Shadow said coldly. The SeaWing and Canopy both sat on the leafy floor.

"Don't got one," Frost growled, finally breaking eye contact. "Don't got one, don't need one."

"Surely you've seen your mother at least once in your life?" Canopy said, tilting her head. Shadow glanced at her skeptically.

"Canopy, neither you, or Dungeness or Cobra have seen your mothers. You couldn't possibly ask such a question."

"No," Frost grumbled. "No father, no mother, no brothers or sisters; for all I know, is that I'm one of Glacier's sons."

"Ah," was all Shadow said, observing his claws. "How well can you fight and defend, Frost?"

"I've fought alongside, and against every dragon tribe. I can and _will_ easily calculate and counter any move you make against me." They locked eyes again, pure resentment and hatred surging between them.

"Um… Frost?" said a soft voice. He turned, to find the beautiful SeaWing, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Yeah?"

"I know this hasn't ever happened… at least, it hasn't according to recent and past scrolls… But, since _any_ IceWing could be the wings of frost…. I'm wondering if anything about you is like… uniquely special. Frost, are you an animus dragon?"

 _Now's my chance,_ he thought, sucking in a large breath. _To tell them who I am, to tell them why I'm in the prophecy._

"No, Dungeness. I'm not."


	9. Chapter 7: Animus

_Chapter 7_

Frost sighed as he dragged another corpse into the pile.

 _Fifteen DarkWings,_ he thought dismally. _How did they find us?_

After the group had met Frost, they had basically decided to drag him back to the Rainforest Kingdom's border, each one of them wanting to search the MudWings' territory to see if the prophesised dragon was there.

Frost had tried, numerous times, to tell them that if the dragon was raised as high as the sun, then they'd more than likely be in the Sky Kingdom.

But no! Oh, no. They all -including Dungeness, to his rage- ignored him and went mouthing off to each and every moons-forsaken sibling group asking for the dragon.

When each bigwings had roared them away, the dragons had decided to rest near the mountinous border to the Sky Kingdom. Or at least, close to Jade Mountain.

And that's when the DarkWings had come. Their blood-freezing screeches of grief made Frost want to claw off his ears. Even during the battle, he could hear the instinctal roar of dragon song when one was in mourning.

He had heard through Shadowscales that these were spirits from the Royal SandWing Succession war -the bloodiest war in all of Pyrrhian history. Millions upon millions of dragons were slaughtered, hundreds of families forever separated by the chilling clutch of death.

Frost let the memory and the pain fuzz into a dull shadow, all of the feelings fading away. Fifteen dragons from the SandWing Succession laid at his talons, bloody and rotting. They had their names carved into their flesh -a tradition for dead dragons. Their dried blood and their open flesh glistened in the moons' light.

"What are their names?" Dungeness asked quietly, sidling up to his left. She had a few bloody patches on her scales from the fight -but she still looked beautiful to Frost. She sat beside him, twining her tail with his as if to confort him. Frost tensed, but he didn't pull away.

"There's three SeaWings, ten SandWings and two IceWings," he mumbled. "The SeaWings' names are Tidal, Ripple, and Dolphin. The SandWings; Cactus, Scorpion, Sandy, Fennec, Lizard, Desert, Rattlesnake, Fig, Antelope and Viper. And... The IceWings are Diamond and Fridged..." He slowly turned his gaze away from the corpses. He felt Dungeness' warm scales press closer to his side -causing him to swallow hard.

"It's so sad..." Dungeness whispered. "All of the dragons who suffered are now blaming the present life with their pain. I guess what we're doing is good... By stopping them and everything... but it doesn't feel good." She sniffled and the stripes on her tail glowed faintly.

"Dungeness, don't cry," Frost said softly. "These dragons were good dragons, set on a mission to do bad things. But we can think of their deaths as peaceful ones after we disperse them. Their bodies will be resting fully in the moonlight tonight, and these dragons will disappear because they were not meant to be alive another time."

"But...But how are we going to save Pyrrhia?" Her pink eyes were wide with horror. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks, making them sparkle in the moonlight. Frost gasped quietly, gently brushing her tears away with a talon.

"Dungeness, I can't answer that, because even I don't know what we're truly up against. But what I do know, is that I swear, by the frozen tundra of the north and the warm ocean of the east, that I will protect you, and keep you from harms way." He clasped her talons between his and their noses pressed against each others' lightly. "I swear, Dungeness, you and I and everyone in our prophecy will save our world."

The SeaWing nodded slightly, the scales on her cheeks shining in replacement to a blush. "I... I believe you, Frost."

She pulled her snout away, and rested her head on his shoulder. In return, Frost wrapped his wings around Dungeness. For the first time in his life, he didn't mind that she heated his scales a little.

 _It feels nice,_ his mind said faintly. _It's like, you never want to let go. And now all you have to do is to make her stay._

Frost blinked, sunlight glaring into his eyes -forcing them wide open. Dungeness was curled against his stomach, and he slowly sat up, trying not to disturb her. The dead bodies, as he had predicted, were gone and so was something else.

His sapphires.

Frost began to panic, digging through the dirt and moving a Dungeness slightly to see if she were sleeping on them. Nothing. They weren't in the grass, the dirt nor anywhere in the clearing.

 _Wait! You idiot! Use your blasted magic!_

Frost bit his lip, his ears flicking in hesitance. "Okay..." he whispered. He held out a talon, his claw tips glowing slightly. "Mythical, power destroying jewels of blue, show me where I can find you."

Suddenly, something inside Frost grew weaker and colder. His talons felt heavy and his eyesight faded until only a vision appeared. It was the group of dragons except himself and Dungeness of course. They were oggling over their size and rarity, passing them to each other. Canopy was tapping her talon impatiently, not having recieved them yet.

When the vision faded, but Frost was already dragging himself through the woods, his blood pounding loudly in his ears. He bumped against trees and tripped over a large root. He must've bitten his tongue or something, because he could taste blood when he pushed himself back up.

 _If they give Canopy one of those gems, my secret won't be so secret anymore!_

"Stop," he rasped, bursting into the clearing. "Stop!"

The dragons all stared at him, frozen in surprise. They were confused, annoyed and malovent. Inferno curled her claws around the large, blue gem.

"Stop what?" she growled.

"Just," he gasped. "Don't give them to Canopy. P-Please... give them back to me. They're mine." The RainWing hissed in outrage.

"What?!" she cried. "Why only me?!"

"Because, if you were lucky or not, you could kill a dragon in one blow!" Frost held his chest, his breathing starting to level out.

"Any dragon could!" the young RainWing roared. "Shadow! Give me a sapphire!"

The NightWing gave a sly glance at Frost, slowly reaching towards Canopy.

Frost's eyes widened and he held out a talon. "Shadowscales of the NightWings, STOP!"

Shadowscales' body grew ridged and he froze in place. "Y-You... Y-you're an..." the prophet never finished his sentence.

Frost's body slumped forward, searing pain that felt like thorns wrapping around his heart scorched his nerves. He yelled in agony, and his heartbeat thrummed heavily. Inferno lunged at him, hissing and sinking her blood-red talons into his flesh. Shadow's curse lifted and the adolescent threw the jewel on the ground, shivering violently.

"S-Somebody!" Frost screeched, dark bluish-blood splattering the grass as Inferno sliced open one of his wings. _"HELP ME!"_

But no one did. His head was lifted as Inferno gripped his ruff and her claws were pressed to his throat. "You're an animus," she hissed darkly. "You have no future. Your only destiny, was to die."

Suddenly, the princess' weight disappeared, and Frost gagged as he felt each one of her claws dig through his flesh. Everything went quiet as hey laid limply on the grass, blood bubbling in his mouth and it pooling out of the five gashes. A blue figure leaned over him, gripping his shoulders and shaking him, roaring his name.

It was Dungeness. Her eyes were wide and horror-stricken, tears glistening her cheeks. Frost shook his head, his gaze fuzzing in and out. He lifted a trembling talon, wiping her sadness away.

"D-don't... d-d-don't cry..." he whispered hoarsely. His arm flopped limply to his side, and the last thing he heard was Dungeness scream.

 _"FROST!"_

Frost felt life slipping away quickly. On the edge of death itself, and one last thought slid through his mind.

 _I promised her I'd protect her. And I will._

Animus magic was a curse, not a blessing.

That, Frost knew very well.


	10. Chapter 8: Our Pyrrhian Guardians

Chapter 8

Emptiness. The IceWing felt and heard absolutely nothing: his blood was still, there was no soft thump of his heart palpitating and there was no air entering and exiting his lungs. He felt as if he were floating, and his scales were numb. He extended one of his arms; but he still felt nothing.

Frost cracked open one of his eyes, his lids heavy as boulders. Pure, endless expanses of white completely surrounded him. He slowly turned his head, finally opening both of his eyes. He could still think, and he could still move, but he never realized it until he saw one of his hindlegs kicking feebly. He forced himself to stop, and his talon went still. Frost once more, viewed his surroundings. It was like he were underwater, sometimes the blankness rippling as he moved. But he definitely wasn't in any water, and he definitely wasn't breathing nor needing to.

He slowly made his left arm move outward, and felt –he actually felt- pressure against his claws. The expanse rippled again, and slowly parted with not one noise. A window-like vent opened, and Frost lifted his head in shock. There were six dragons in the visual. Blue, red, gray, black, white-gold, and silvery-white scales sparkled in the sunlight. Dark, bluish-red blood dripped out of the ice-colored dragon's throat and maw, the blue dragoness shaking him violently, her jaws parting as she screamed in horrible silence.

The IceWing was _him_. The blue dragoness was Dungeness, and the rest were the other dragons of destiny. Frost wanted to leap through the image, he wanted to tell Dungeness that he was okay, and that what had happened really didn't happen. Frost shivered, and looked away, squeezing his eyes shut.

 _This can't be true. This isn't real. Inferno didn't kill me, Dungeness isn't clutching my corpse: I AM NOT DECEASED!_

 _"It's sad, isn't it,"_ a heavy voice said from behind Frost. It sounded…. Calm.

Frost spun his head around, as fast as he could and his maw parted in awe. In front of him was a massive NightWing, with red, silver scales near his eyes and wings as large as himself. It was King Darkstalker.

"Stop staring at me as if I had lizards parading out of my mouth," the king said gently. He glanced at Frost's opened vent, and closed it with a wave of a freely moving talon. Frost flinched, feeling a sudden burst of cold as the window closed. He looked up at the king. The NightWing turned his head away, his eyes gazing out towards the blankness.

Frost slowly tilted his head. "Y-Your Majesty," he stuttered in a croaky voice. His words echoed through the infinite white. "What are you doing here? Aren't you… _Dead_?" Darkstalker's gaze fell upon Frost once more, making the younger dragon's shoulders tense.

"I am, Frost," he muttered in a thunderous voice. He swept out an enormous wing. The night sky within the membrane looked so real, Frost thought he could fly into it and go back to Pyrrhia.

"Then why are you here?" he asked, shakily.

"Because, like you, I am an animus, and like me, you are dead." Darkstalker held out a talon. "Come. You must meet the others and learn your ability in this plain."

Frost curled his talons closer to himself, fear clutching his mind. "I-I can't Darkstalker…" The NightWing king lifted his head with a soft snort. His eyes were patient, yet he looked so menacing it was so hard to believe it. "I-I have to go back to them… To her. I have to save Pyrrhia."

"Frost," the king sighed. "You're dead. Gone, murdered by Princess Inferno of the SkyWings. Shadowscales' prophecy is broken. Pyrrhia will not survive against the DarkWings without you."

"Exactly!" Frost snapped, pointing at Darkstalker. "My destiny was not to die! I'm supposed to save Pyrrhia! Can't you gather your animus dragons? If…. If they're here that is. I mean, I've read about so many of them. Shouldn't they be here as well?"

"I told them to stay hidden so you could get accustomed to your new life."

"Well? Where are we then?" Frost grumbled, narrowing his eyes. It was so weird here. Just, floating around? Is that an animus' destiny?

"We're nowhere and everywhere. We control the faintest choices Pyrrhian lives must make. Say, a queen were tempted to go to war for more territory: we'd make both tribes simply agree instead of them suffering and diminishing their tribe any further." He sighed, and glanced away. "We can't make contact with a certain dragon though…. His mind is so dark and full of hate…." Frost's eyes widened. Who was he talking about?

"It doesn't matter," Darkstalker said quietly. "Now, are you ready to meet the others?"

"No!" Frost shouted, flicking his tail. "I'm not going!"

"Frost," the king began.

"No, no, NO!" Frost roared, feeling tears cornering his eyes. "I'm going back to them, whether you like it or not!" He snarled. "Darkstalker, I want to be resurrected!" Darkstalker blinked, surprise and annoyance in his silver eyes.

"You wish to be a DarkWing?" he asked finally.

"No! I-I mean, yes and no! I want to go back, but I don't want to be just a possessed corpse. I want you to use your magic to heal me, to bring me back." He wrung his talons, his eyes darting around. "We're going to need the rest of the animuses aren't we."

The king paused and then let out a soft sigh, shaking his large head. "Alright… I will gather the others…."

A faint breath of wind whistled in Frost's ears, and suddenly over twenty other dragons –all from different tribes- surrounded him and Darkstalker.

"Frost, I'd like you to meet my friends; all the way from the Scorching to the present." The other dragons all bared wounds, multiple having slit throats, a few laid crumpled with jagged edges of bones stabbing through their hides. Some even grasped their heads in front of them, not seeming to mind. They all stared at him in awe.

"Core, the very first MudWing queen; Darkfangs, the first general to the NightWing army; Drought, the third SandWing queen, also the one who created the Eye of Onyx; Dreamseeker and Fadedshadows, the first twins in Pyrrhian history; Fissure, a lone MudWing whom abandoned his sibs due to his soul finally crumpling underneath the animus magic; Worldsearcher, the first blind dragon in Pyrrhia; Rivulet, the daughter of a SeaWing guard –murdered by her brother Stream who was also an animus; Bloodspiller, the eight NightWing queen; Calamity, the first SkyWing animus –the daughter of Flicker, who was the oldest dragon in that time period; Soar, the son of Calamity, but he died in an avalanche at age nine, not yet discovering his abilities; Albatross, a SeaWing who snapped and murdered eight members of his royal family, including a young one-year old animus named Ripple; Fathom, the grandson of Albatross and one of my closest friends; I, Darkstalker, the longest lived dragon in history; Orca, the first daughter of Queen Coral –enchanted a statue to put in her hatchery to kill all of her heirs; Pattern a three-year old RainWing dragonet, she was killed by a falling tree; Stonemover, famous for creating the animus tunnels from the old NightWing kingdom to the Kingdom of Sand and the Rainforest Kingdom; Anemone, challenged her mother when she was not yet ready, and died in the fight, former heir to the throne besides from Princess Tsunami and Princess Auklet; and finally… you, Frost, the very first IceWing animus dragon in history."

Frost looked at the surrounding dragons, tears pricking his eyes. Not for the loss of the elders' lives, but for the youth, whom never knew the true beauty of Pyrrhia until their cold and desolate end. Yet, he felt happiness, knowing that as each one of these dragons passed, that they weren't alone in this expanse; they had each other.

Darkstalker spread his large wings, lifting his head. All of the animus' eyes glowed with golden light. "And by the power invested in us, the animus dragons of past, we give this IceWing the ability to live, the ability to save our world." Frost's body was no longer filled with numbness and he could feel the gashes on his throat and wings seal close, one by one. His blood began to surge through his veins and his heart pumped back into rhythm. Frost closed his eyes and spread his wings.

 _I am the first IceWing animus,_ he thought. _I will bring honor to the animuses, and save Pyrrhia. I will protect our world as long as there is air to breathe and there is a sky to fly in._

 _Thank you Darkstalker, and thank you everyone. I will not let you down._

* * *

 ** _OKAY SO APPARENTLY, A LOT OF VERY, VERY IMPORTANT SHIT HAPPENS IN THE FREAKIN' SEVENTH BOOK (WHICH I STILL HAVE NOT READ), AND I DIDN'T KNOW FUCKING DARKSTALKER WAS A HYBRID, AND I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WERE ALREADY ICEWING ANIMUSES, SO PLEEEEASE. PLEASE, PLEASE FORGIVE ME. i AM SO SORRY. ANYWAY. STILL. FUCK THAT, BUT DON'T FUCK IT BECAUSE IT'S FUCKING COOL. MOONS-BLASTED, MOTHER OF A RABID SQUIRREL, CONCUSSED FAT TOAD! ~Adrenaline the (raging) SkyWing._**

 ** _(Also, sorry for the language.)_**


	11. Chapter 9: Alive

**_I want to thank everyone for supporting my stories, and I love you all! Thank you for reviewing these, and putting up with no acknowledgements until now! Also, for frostbiteicewing, I will reveal how Frost ended up with Necrosis in the first place, and I think by now, it's kind of clear on what killed her! ~Adrenaline_**

 _"Inferno, you MONSTER!"_

 _"Why are you mad at me? I only did want I was taught to do; kill every and any animus dragon!"_

 _"He lied to you, Dungeness. He can't be trusted."_

 _"I don't care! How in the name of the Sea are we going to save all of Pyrrhia with only six Dragons?!"_

 _"Why do you even care?! We can just find some other IceWing to take his place! It's not like he was the only one with frosty scales! He was weak and pathetic if he couldn't beat Inferno_ _in a fight. And honestly, he smelled like a rotting pig and might I add that he told Shadowscales what to do?!"_

Frost let his eyes slowly open, his head pounding like bass drums.

"Shut up, all of you," he rasped. Every head in the clearing snapped towards him. He slowly sat up and rubbed his face. Gray, golden/crimson, pink and black eyes stared at him in shock.

"You're ALIVE!" Dungeness cried, lunging at him and holding him tightly. She was a little larger than him, but she kept her head firmly rested on his chest. She nuzzled him and he wrapped his wings around her, chuckling softly as his back and head was pressed to the ground. He heard Shadowscales snarl in ire, but nothing could take his happiness of right now away. Frost coughed as another body slammed onto him. He felt the almost uncomfortable heat of Cobra and he began to laugh.

"You three are complete morons," Canopy sighed, but her scales were shaded with a pale yellow. Even the smaller RainWing was happy about Frost being alive. Shadow snorted in disdain and rubbed his eye-ridges.

"Okay, yes, we're all _so_ _happy_ that you somehow managed to stay alive." Shadow growled with a quiet sigh. "But everyone, we need to find somewhere to go. DarkWings could be on their way here right now because of _someone's_ screams." He narrowed his eyes at Dungeness.

Cobra and Dungeness both helped up Frost, he now sitting upright. Sunlight shone brightly from above, the trees around them parting in an almost wide circle. The sun rested right in the middle, the bright light making Frost's scales heat up more. He could see the clouds that surrounded the highest peak of Jade Mountain.

"Does anyone have any ideas on where our MudWing might be?" Cobra asked. Frost raised a talon.

"Kingdom of the Sea, perhaps?" he said. Canopy gave him a withering look.

"And why would a MudWing be in the ocean?" she snarled softly. "Unless you're just trying to cause trouble again."

Frost shrugged. "They won't be. I only have a score to settle with Queen Coral. Did you know that during her reign, over eight and ten hundreds of IceWings were slaughtered?"

"So what?" Inferno snapped. "Countless dragons have died during each of the queens' reigns. What difference does it make? Why do you care?"

"But surely you know that during the SandWing Succession she almost wiped out your entire tribe."

Inferno's expression dropped into a sickened one. Frost smiled inwardly. He was going to take revenge. Then Canopy piped up again.

"NO!" she hollered, glaring at Frost. "We are going to let her die on her terms; but we need to find that stupid MudWing! Where should we go?!"

Dungeness gently held Frost's forearm. "Where should we go?" she echoed to him in a hushed tone, her pink eyes locked on the arguing dragons of black, red and white-gold.

"Well," he whispered back, hiding his disappointment with sensitivity. "If the dragon was raised as high as the sun then she'd be in the-" He was abruptly cut-off as a shadow passed over him and a dragon clamped their talons around his snout and throat, pumping their wings hard as they snatched him away from Dungeness.

"FROST!" Dungeness screamed, lunging after him as he was carried away. She flapped frantically after him. He snarled and struggled in the hold and he suddenly felt a whip-like tail smack his underbelly. He flinched as realization entered him.

Ridged claws dug deeper into his snout as he tried to thrash his head out of the grasp. It was impossibly strong. He couldn't really see past the dragon's talon over his mouth, but he definitely couldn't see Dungeness' sapphire-blue scales chasing him.

"If you stop struggling, I might let your jaws free," came the rumbling voice. He heard a slight soft hint in their words. He lashed out, scratching the IceWing's side. They hissed and let go of his throat and onto his wrists, causing him to twist in an awkward position.

 _Blast this IceWing!_ he snarled inwardly, kicking out with his hindlegs. He only struck the whistling air. He suddenly stopped a gasp stuck in his throat.

 _Holy icebergs! This dragon is huge! How old are they?!_ He stopped struggling, rolling his shoulders to hopefully to release some painful tension.

They flew for hours, Frost slowly losing consciousness just as the dragon dropped him on hard stone, he releasing a loud yelp. It was thrown back at him by the tall, mountainous walls that surrounded him. He was in a ravine. He could barely see the Claws of the Clouds mountain peaks above the ravine's opening.

The larger IceWing sat on the stone, examining the scratches Frost had left on their scales. Frost blinked and shivered, realizing something that made him wrench. The IceWing was female! He cleared his throat and slowly got up and bowed his head. He needed to show respect for her: dragoness' _are_ the superiors in Pyrrhia.

"Um," he coughed, keeping his eyes downcast, "I'm…sorry about slashing you." The dragoness chuffed in amusement. Frost lifted his gaze and saw her shrug and smile.

"It's quite alright," she rumbled. "I should've expected that." She flicked her tail and got up, walking over to an opening in one of the rock walls. He sighed, wanting to know more, so he followed her. Darkness enveloped them both, and after a few moments of accidentally stamping on her tail or bumping into walls, Frost saw a faint flicker of light at the end of a long passage.

His eyes grew wide when he entered the large chamber, multiple torches and flaming logs lighting the place. The IceWing female seated herself behind a burning log, it illuminating her in an almost spiritual way. Frost sat on the opposite side of her, the heat of the log weak against his pale scales.

"Why did you bring me here?" Frost asked, keeping his wings folded close to his sides. "Who are you?" The IceWing chuckled hoarsely.

"How old are you?" she asked, her voice rather soft; and expertly dodging his questions.

"I'm…I'm one-ten and five years," he answered slowly, furrowing his brow.

She snorted, rubbing her face. She looked older in that moment, her body thrashed in fatigue. "Ah," she said quietly. "It's been that long?"

"What?"

"Oh. Right, I'll explain, young one." She slowly scratched her throat, and sighed, seeming to ponder the ceiling's purpose. "Let's see…. Around the time of the early war, I'd started my job as a guard for Her Majesty, Glacier, when I was your age. A long time had passed; I obeying the rule of pure loyalty to my queen. Do you know what that means?"

Frost shrugged, the answer simple. "Of course. Royal guards can't mate or bring forth a family because their hearts must be pure of temptation."

She nodded, a smile creeping at the corner of her snout. "That's right. Now, until I was three-tens and five years, I'd obeyed that rule with a passion…that is until I met a dragon whom made my heart soar the second his arctic-eyes would meet mine…." She sighed, her dark-eyes glazed over. Frost rolled his eyes and let a drift of frostbreath escape his maw.

This is what she wanted to bring me here for? Her life's story?

She suddenly snapped out of her trance and focused back onto Frost. "Anyway," she murmured. "One evening, around a few months before the war ended, the dragon who I mentioned before came to me. He was stressed to the point on which he no longer felt loyalty to his mate. But he knew if he left, he'd be dishonored and forced to stay out of the bloodline; possibly hanged as well."

"Where are you going with this?" Frost asked, frowning.

"Be patient," the elder IceWing shushed. "That night, he and I broke our loyalties. I brought forth his egg; an egg that in the eyes of many, should've been produced cracked."

"Excuse me," Frost interrupted again, closing his eyes in frustration. "I still don't see how this explains who you are, or why you brought me here." He opened his eyes once more, staring at the dancing flames that separated the two dragons. "I don't care about your terribly-recited story, or this one guard who betrayed the trust of his current mate because life got too hard. I want to know why you took me away from my destiny, why did you bring me here. What purpose do I serve _you_ , an old, disgruntled IceWing?" The dragoness' eyes grew sad and hurt, but a fierce glimmer that did not radiate from the fire glowed in her pupils.

" _Frost_ ," she said, causing his head to snap up so fast that his neck's muscles cracked. He winced but stared at her dumbfounded.

"How…?" he began but began to shiver, his voice trailing away.

"Child," she murmured. "He didn't abandon his mate for nothing. King North knew what he was doing, he knew he needed to let go of a life that pained him like no other. He and I created a dragonet who now has a full life set in front of him; one that would've belonged to him only if he were abandoned as a little egg in the snow and ice –buried away from Glacier."

Frost's eyes locked with hers, and he folded his ears back. _No. No, no, no, no…._

"Frost," the dragoness whispered. "I'm your mother."


	12. Chapter 10: The Northern Lights

_Chapter 10_

 _The Northern Lights_

Bright light cascaded into the ice hall. Seal lifted her head, the sunlight brightening her cold-blue armor and her white scales.

Her fellow royal guard, Elk, was twitching his tail impatiently, it skidding across the frozen floor. His light blue eyes flicked to the endless hallways to his right and Queen Glacier's throne room doorway to his left. He finally laid his eyes on her and Seal flicked a talon at him.

 _Soon. Calm down,_ she thought.

"You can't keep doing this," he grumbled, clenching his spear harder. Seal could hear the waver in his words. "Imagine if the queen found out? Seal, she'd behead you both!" Seal snorted and rolled her eyes.

"You worry too much," she laughed. "He just wants to talk and stroll around the palace for a few hours. It's just harmless fun."

"But to you is it harmless, or are you developing stronger feelings for him that you know you can't control?" Elk asked, his eyes narrowing.

Seal blinked, tilting her head. "It's harmless," she insisted. _At least, I think it is. Can't the king associate himself with other, non-royal dragons?_

"Fine," Elk fumed, his words still dripping with anxiety, "see if I care. When Queen Glacier comes for you and you're not here, I ain't lying for either of you." He lowered his head in defeat.

"Fair enough," she replied blithely. "But, thank you, Elk for being concerned."

He only grunted weakly in response.

Seal looked at her spear as she waited. Titanium reinforced steel shaft with a diamond tip. The weapon could easily pierce chain-mail and slip between ribs of an enemy. It felt like an extension of her arm, she flawlessly wielding it. The Ice Kingdom's most resourceful jewel were the diamonds –Glacier finding the blue and white ones the most intriguing. For weaponry, however, the diamonds were translucent and had no tinge of color; though sometimes IceWing guards were seen with red-tinted diamond blades, showing off that they were formidable against enemies.

A while had passed since Seal and Elk's argument before she heard a calm and smooth voice beside her murmur her name. She grinned and spun towards the IceWing king, dropping her spear in the process. Elk hissed and quickly snatched her weapon up before Glacier stormed out to see what all the noise was about.

" _King North_!" Seal exclaimed happily, her tail lashing happily. The taller, older dragon quieted her with a chuckle and a talon. She let out a muffled giggle.

"You two are acting like dragonets," Elk said under his breath. He wasn't able to say any more, for North's cold gaze drifted upon him.

"Forgive me, You Majesty," Elk whispered and turned away.

"You look wonderful," North complimented Seal as he removed his bejeweled talon. She gaped up at him, her heart hammering.

"I –I'm still in my armor," she stammered.

"Armor cannot diminish one's beauty," North rumbled, smiling down at her. Elk snorted and the king clicked a claw to warn him. Seal snickered softly and began to walk alongside North, away from Elk and Queen Glacier's throne room.

The two dragons chatted idly, their voices light and relaxed. That is, until Seal mentioned a rather strained topic.

"Why do you hang out with _me_?" she asked, actually interested in the answer.

"Well," he sighed, rubbing his snout. "Her Majesty is on a very weak side in this war…. Blaze is such a hollow-head. She expects every one of her dragons to fight as if they're animuses because she is more well-kept than her sisters. I mean, the only reason Glacier allied herself with Blaze is because our territory is the smallest out of all the tribes!" He growled and clenched a talon. Seal looked at him, her ears perked.

"Has she considered removing the IceWings from the war?" Seal asked. She stopped in the corridor, the sunlight dancing around and off of her armor.

North blinked, turning back to her. "You mean, give up the deal? Give up the chance of expanding our dragons?" He looked hurt –the ridges above his eyes crinkled as he showed his distress. "You want to stay out of the war like _Rain_ Wings?!"

Seal felt her heart seize. _No! N-no! I'm no RainWing!_

"No!" she yelped. "I don't mean that!" She held out her talons helplessly. "I meant why doesn't Glacier just kill Blaze, claim the territory and then ally herself with Burn?"

North stared at her for a moment. "That…actually is a very good idea." He tapped a claw on the ice floor in thought. "But…I'm afraid Burn isn't necessarily a safe ally either. I've heard rumors that she plans on keeping this war going until all of Pyrrhia is just stained with blood."

Seal gulped and looked down at her talons. "And Blister?" The king shook his head wearily.

"Blister is no better. She has SeaWings on her side, but I've had reports seeing Blister and that Morrowseer conspiring together. She clearly has the most powerful of dragons on her side. I couldn't let my IceWings be in the talons of such a strong and clever dragon –at least, more than I am." Seal's ears lowered and she scratched a line in the floor.

"So, we're on Blaze's side because we could easily live in peace with her when she claims the throne." She rubbed her snout, distressed. "I wish she were actually _acceptable_ as queen material. She's just so vain. None of the sisters are going to be good queens. And what about those dragonets of destiny? Didn't they invite Glacier to some 'peace meeting'? Like Blister or Burn would meet each other _peacefully_. Oasis was such a terrible mother…."

North nodded sadly, but he gave her a gentle smile. "At least you're thinking of way to end this war faster," he whispered. "You have a brilliant mind, Seal."

Seal blinked at him as he stepped closer. "U –uh…. I –I thank you North," she stammered. He chuckled and lifted her chin with a claw.

"How about we meet up again sometime?"

Seal nodded almost too vigorously. "Okay!"

Little did North or Seal know, that their futures would change from that moment on into something awful, and beautiful.


End file.
